Lexx 510 Death Star Part 2
by ApocalexxNow
Summary: The crew of Little Lexx are lost on a planet dominated by zombies. While they struggle to survive and finally get Xev rid of the poison, Prince and Karina struggle with each other.


Lexx 5 Lexx 5.10 Death Star Part IIStarring: Brian Downey, Xenia Seeberg, Nigel Bennett, Eva Habermann, Jeffrey Hirschfield as Voice of 790

**Guest starring:**

**Ron Rifkin as Theologian, Laura Harris as Rasa**

Little Lexx orbited a planet from far. One half of it was orange, lighted by the sun, but one could see from space, that the sun's rays could not penetrate the thick clouds part of the planet had. The other half was also lighted, but in blue, from a mysterious blue star on the night side of the planet. A thick blue beam went out of the star and hit the center of the planet's night side and shook the whole planet.

Ray was in a room with two exits, which were both covered by mad people with glowing in red eyes, who wanted to kill him. A butterfly had crashed in the room. The teenager was leaning on the wall and the zombies were approaching him, when the ground shook hard. Everybody fell on the ground and medicine books fell from the shelves on the other wall. Dust was picked up by the earthquake and the cryptic orange light coming from the window got filled with a thick fog of dust. Ray noticed that and also noticed the window the light came through.

Angel lied on the desk he sat on, but didn't drop the desk-lamp. The astrologer woman fell from the desk she was standing on and the zombie got hit by the elevator door and also fell, but this time knocking his head on the table's edge, making it bleed.

Stanley sat on the ground and covered his head with his hands, while everything around him shook. Rasa fell on the ground, but didn't stop shooting at the zombies, coming from the stairs towards her. They were falling too, but after that they were crawling towards them.

- I'm gonna be outta ammo soon! – She shouted. – We'd better go back. Move!

Stanley and Rasa crawled back in the corridor, while the ground still shook.

The theologian, who dragged the unconscious Xev around, also lost his support and they both fell on the floor. From the fall Xev woke up and sighed painfully.

The whole city was shaking. Loud thunders could be heard not only from the ground, but from the sky and flashes of lightning bolts tore the ghostly atmosphere in it. Strong winds were flowing ashes around chaotically. Several buildings in the city collapsed during the earthquake.

Small blue circle surrounded the area where the beam hit the ground and that blue coverage was getting slightly bigger with each second. It was in fact a blue hit-wave from the beam, which expanded and slowly covered more and more territory, vaporizing anything in its path.

790 watched from the Little Lexx'es bridge and he cried with tears, that virtually made his eye-screens wet.

- No! Come back! Hurry, Stanley! I'll never call you Tommy again, I'll never ask anything of you! Just come back and be safe! – He cried.

- Be quiet, please – a female voice was heard behind him. Karina came from behind the pedestal. The sight of her was enough to silence 790.

- Zev? – He asked in shock.

Karina looked aside for a moment and then answered:

- No. I need you to help me gain control of the ship.

- Why?

- It is capable of destroying that planet over there? – She pointed at the screen.

- Yes?

- Tell me how to destroy it. I know Prince has done it before – she commanded.

- No! – The robot shouted.

Karina took the head in her hands and gave it a furious insisting look.

- I need it urgently destroyed, robot! I can do it without you, but I need all life on it extinguished, now! Give me control of the ship at once!

- Even if I could, I wouldn't! My man is there!

Karina threw 790 in the air and kicked him so hard, he hit the wall next to the screen and was reflected back on the bridge. When he fell, Karina had already disappeared.

As he sat on the ground, Ray took a chair and threw it at the window. It got broken and the chair flew outside.

The lights in Angel's room turned red. A voice sounded through the speakers:

- Fatal disaster alert! Fatal disaster alert! Evacuation – obligatory!

The electronic map-wall at the far side of the room rose up and revealed a much smaller room with metal walls.

- Evacuation and sterilization of the room in 10… 9… 8… - the voice spoke.

Angel tried to stand, supporting himself on the desk. The zombie from the elevator lifted its head and saw him. He grabbed his foot and tried to pull it towards its mouth. Angel used the desk-lamp and hit his head hard, which made the zombie loosen its grab. Angel threw the lamp and ran towards the small room, hitting himself in the central desk and in the wall, but made it just before the voice finished its backward count. The small room got closed and Angel felt himself rapidly descending.

Flames came out of the rocket launching pad control room's edges and everything in it was vaporized.

The blue devastation area of the beam's hit wave got larger and larger, as 790 watched through tears.

- No! No! Please tell me Ray has saved you! Please tell me you're going away from the planet NOOWW! – 790 kept whining.

Then the beam lost its thick density and the blue hit-wave slowed down its destruction. However it didn't stop. 790's eyes began showing rapidly changing numbers.

- Oh, good! Good! – He shouted. – You have a few more minutes! No, an hour! Even more! 2 hours! Yes, you nasty blue wave, keep slowing down! No! Not this way!!

The beam got thicker again and the blue wave speeded up. A few moments later it slowed down again.

790 gave up on his calculations.

- Just hurry up!!

As the beam got less thick, the earthquake stopped. The zombies around Ray started getting up and roaring again. Ray quickly stood up and climbed on the window. He saw a vertical water-pipe near the window. He jumped and grabbed it. He hugged it strongly so he wouldn't let it go – he was 4 floors from the ground.

Rasa banged a door shut. She and Stan were in a sickroom with two beds, medical appliances and a TV. One of the beds was taken by someone covered in bandages. He roared. Rasa locked the door and shot the patient in the head.

- What did you do that for?! – Stanley reproached her.

- He was a zombie. Are you blind? Haven't you seen what's going on around here?! – she shouted at him.

- N… Not really. What… What's wrong with your eyes – Stan asked worried.

Rasa's eyes were bloodshot.

- What about them?! – She went to a medical appliance and looked at herself in the screen. The image was clear enough for her to notice. She then gave the gun to Stan. – Shoot me.

- What?! Why?! – Stan asked in shock.

- Because very soon I'll turn into a zombie and devour you. I don't want to become one of them. Kill me now.

- No! – Stan threw the gun on the free bed.

Rasa slapped him and gave him a furious look. She then took the gun and put it in her mouth.

- Good luck in surviving – she said and pulled the trigger.

- No! – Stanley shouted and took the gun away from her hand, but too late, she had already pulled it.

She opened her eyes and gave Stanley another furious look. There was no gunshot. She pulled the trigger again and again, but nothing happened. Stanley laughed.

- You're out of ammunition!

She however was not so happy.

Xev and the theologian lied on the floor.

- I think it stopped – the theologian said. – The end has been postponed a little.

- Who are you? – Xev asked. – What's wrong with your eyes?

- I'm being affected by Genera. I can feel her aggression inside me. But I'll prove I'm righteous, I won't give up to her. I can control my aggression.

- Who's Genera?

- The star up there. She'll bring us doom. The ancient texts are coming true.

Xev thought for a moment, but decided not to pursue the topic.

- Listen, I need help – she said.

- Whatever I can do.

- There are bad poisons flowing through my body. I'm going to die very soon.

- Ha! – The theologian laughed. – We're all gonna die very soon. How come you're not affected?

- I'm not from around here – Xev answered.

- No, - the theologian laughed again, - there's no place in the world, where you can hide from Genera.

- I'm not from this world.

The theologian knit his brows in disbelief. They were both still lying on the ground. He moved closer to her ear and whispered:

- Are you from the aliens on Mila?

Xev didn't answer, she knitted her brows too.

- They visited us secretly a few years ago – he continued. - They gave us a substance and told us to manufacture it in larger quantities. They said they might need it later. Are you part of the bigger plan?

Xev thought for a moment, before she answered.

- I am here for the cure. But I don't know what plan you're talking about.

The theologian went silent for a couple of moments, then stood up and took Xev's hand.

- Let's go – he said.

- Will you take me to the cure? – Xev asked.

- The substance was lost during the last world war. However we have a machine, which will administer the cure in your blood somehow, I'm not sure how it works – he explained. After Xev stood up, he added – This must be part of the plan.

- What plan? – Xev repeated her question.

- You're very lucky. I'm one of the very few people, that participated in the alien drug conspiracy. The people on the planet do not know about this machine. I found you for a reason. I am part of the plan.

Xev wrapped her arm on the theologian's shoulder, he helped her walk and they proceeded through the corridor. Although Xev looked at the floor, which was full of scattered papers and window glasses, she couldn't see a special piece of glass. A reflection of Prince smiling was on it. He watched them and made an evil grin. They didn't see the reflection however and walked on.

Ray hanged onto the waterpipe and looked at the window, where the zombies stretched their arms in attempt to reach him. One of them managed to climb on the window and tried to jump at Ray, but Ray kicked him and he fell on the ground. Another small earthquake was felt. I lasted a couple of seconds and was weak, but made the pipe squeal. Ray started climbing up.

Angel's panic room finally reached the bottom. The doors opened and Angel found himself in a small basement room with a huge appliance taking most of the space. A voice was heard from the speakers in the elevator he just used:

- Elevator destruction in 5… 4… 3…

Angel jumped out of the elevator in the room with the huge machine and when the voice finished the count, the doors were closed and the sound of a rope being ripped was heard. The elevator fell further in the shaft and was destroyed. Angel looked at the huge machine. It was full of buttons, levers and screens. The screens showed different areas from the hospital – empty rooms and rooms full of zombies. Suddenly they all changed and showed the same image – Karina. She moved her lips, she spoke something, but Angel couldn't hear her. She saw that and made an angry face.

- Is this a distress call? Hello? Miss? – Angel spoke.

Karina disappeared and the screens went back to showing various rooms and corridors.

Ray reached a window, close to the waterpipe outside. He kicked it and went through the hole, inside the hospital.

Stan sat on one of the beds and Rasa sat on the other with her back towards Stanley, pushing the dead patient away.

- Is that a TV? – Stan pointed at the screen-box on the wall.

- No, it's a microwave! – Rasa shouted sarcastically. – Don't turn it on, it'll annoy me!

- It will give us information on what's going on – Stan said, took the remote control from the bedside table and turned it on.

He switched through the channels, but none of them showed anything. After switching through several channels, he found one, that was airing. It was an action movie. A big muscular guy was shooting at others like him. There were a lot of them surrounding him and he was at the center, yet they couldn't hit him with their bullets, he was the only one, who killed. In a few seconds this picture went dead too.

- That wasn't helpful – Stan said.

- It was "Lambo 14" – Rasa explained. – You haven't seen it? It was a blockbuster. Just like the 13 movies before that one. I was a fan. The actor's dead now.

- Sorry – Stan said. He turned off the TV. – Listen. I don't hear any of the zombies outside anymore. Perhaps it's save to go outside.

- Where would you go anyway? – Rasa asked, still without turning to look at Stanley.

- To find Xev! – Stan stood up and went near Rasa. – To help her!

He put his hand on her shoulder invitingly. She suddenly took his hand, twisted it, which made him fall on the floor and she sat on him. Her eyes were completely red and blood was dripping from her mouth.

- You'll stay here and you'll die with me! With all of us! – She shouted madly.

Suddenly the TV went on again. It showed Prince.

- Let him go! – He commanded, stressing every word.

She turned away with a mad face.

- Who the hell are you!

- I am your Prince – he gloriously announced.

Rasa stood up and released Stanley. She lifted the bedside table and threw it at the TV. They were both smashed. The distraction gave Stan enough time to crawl under the bed and reach the door. He unlocked it in front of Rasa's furious look. She shouted madly, a shout mixed with a roar, and ran towards him. Stan quickly opened the door and hurried to close it, but Rasa wriggled her arm and prevented Stanley from slamming it. Her roars could be heard and she pulled to open the door and get Stanley, while he desperately pulled outside, trying to hold her inside. She was a little more powerful, so she managed to pull the door little by little every second and squeeze more of her arm. Suddenly someone else's hand appeared from behind Stanley and cut Rasa's arm with a broken peace of glass it was carrying. Rasa pulled her arm back inside, whimpering and Stan slammed the door, after which he startled back, away from the newcomer's arm. Seeing Ray, he sighed in relief.

A group of zombies walked in a corridor. They reached a small hall with 2 mirror-glassed doors on their left and their right side. The zombie which walked in front of the rest, stopped and thought for a moment. He roared and blinked several times with his red eyes. After the short hesitation he headed left. The group followed him. Suddenly an image of Prince appeared on the mirror of the right door. He waved his hand and smiled.

- This way, poor creatures! Come and get me – he cheerfully said.

The leader-zombie made an angry face, roared and ran towards the door. It ran right through the glass and broke it. Prince's image shattered to pieces. The zombie startled from the change of scenery – behind the door there was another corridor. The zombie roared again and continued running while the rest of the group followed him.

Shortly after that Xev and the theologian exited the left door and went on to the corridor from which the zombies came.

- It's not too long to the special room now, keep walking – he said to Xev.

- I don't think I'll be able to walk a lot longer – she answered with a weak voice.

- Don't worry – he calmed her and fondled her hair. – You'll live.

They kept going.

A door was kicked open on the stairway to the roof and Ray and Stan came out of it.

- Good – Ray said. – We escaped. Now we have to find Xev and get out of here.

- We can't – Stan answered through heavy breathing, tired from the run. – We haven't cured her yet.

- We'll have to find another way, Stanley – Ray put his hand on his shoulder. – Listen, this planet will come to an end very soon, 790 said so.

- Oh, and you believed him?!

- Yes, Stan, I did. He was extremely worried and sure of his prognosis.

- 790 lies a lot, kid.

- Not this time, Stanley, I could tell! The zombies around are pretty conclusive – Ray insisted. – The sooner we get out of here, the better.

- I totally, absolutely, 100 agree with you, but we can't let Xev die. It's now or never. Her time has come and if we don't cure her here, we won't at all – Stan didn't give up.

- Stan, I thought you were a practical man! – Ray looked at him in disbelief. – Be realistic! Even if we found her, we don't even know where to start looking for her cure, we don't even have anyone to ask, because everyone here is a mindless zombie, trying to kill us!

Stan looked in Ray's eyes in desperation and reluctance.

- I can't just leave her, Ray. She doesn't have time. She could be dying in pain right now.

- We'll come back, but with weapons, Stan! We can't wander around with all those things in the hospital.

Stan grabbed Ray's shoulders.

- By the time we get back, she'll be dead, Ray! It's our last chance to help her! She would do the same for both of us!

Ray looked coldly in Stan's eyes.

- Why are you doing this? Don't you have a feeling of self-preservation at all?!

- I do, believe me, I do, if anyone has it, it's me! – Stan answered. – But I guess… Friendship changes man.

- Suit yourself, Stanley – Ray said and started going upstairs. – I'll find some weapons and come back for you, but I won't stay here defenseless.

Stan watched as Ray left him.

- So that's it – the captain said. – It's here, where Xev dies. It all makes sense.

- What does? – Ray asked intrigued from the upper stairs platform.

- I haven't told anyone yet, but I was in the future. You were in it – Stan explained.

Ray knit his brows.

- Xev wasn't. Not our Xev anyway.

- What are you talking about, Stanley? – Ray asked in disbelief.

- Yeah. I didn't believe it myself at first, but it starts making sense. Perhaps in this future we walked away from here and survived, while Xev didn't. That's why you wouldn't tell me what happened to her.

- I think the type 13 planet is affecting you, Stanley. One doesn't just go to the future. Come with me. Walk away while you still can.

Stan looked at him with sadness in his eyes.

- I'll change the future, Ray. I won't let her die.

Ray stood there for a few moments, confused. He looked at Stan with disappointment and went on.

Stan looked around himself. He found a hole in the wall and several bricks under it. He took the heaviest and walked through the door with the number 3, he last saw Xev in.

Rasa walked in another corridor. She had no expression, not a human one at least. Her eyes glowed red and sliver was dropping from her mouth. She passed a door to a sickroom, which someone from the inside was banging on. Suddenly it fell down just behind her and two zombies fell with it. She turned and looked at them with fury. She quickly jumped on one of them and twisted its neck. The other zombie stood up, but she kicked its knee hard and it collapsed on the floor. Rasa also stood up and while the zombie crawled towards her, roaring, she kicked his head, she cracked the zombie's skull. She went on and reached a small hall with two mirror doors. She heard noises from the right one. The theologian dragged Xev, who had lost consciousness, behind it and was about to open it, when he heard Rasa's roar and stopped. Suddenly Prince appeared again, but on Rasa's left door.

- Ta-daa – he said. For some reason Rasa didn't attack him right away. – Remember me, animal? – He waved his hand at her.

Suddenly Karina's image appeared on the mirror of the other door, which the theologian and Xev hid behind.

- No, Rasa, come here – she said calmly.

Rasa looked at both of them confused.

- Leave the white-haired, animal – Prince said to Rasa with anger in his tone. – She already looks like a corpse.

- You can't defeat me on my own planet, Prince, so you try influencing another – Karina gloated. – Well it's not going to happen either.

- I already prevented this planet from being destroyed once. I'll do it again.

- You stopped their little world war, but you can't stop the blue star. It's a matter of hours, Prince.

- More than enough time for Stan and Xev to get out.

- What do you need Xev for anyway? I thought Stanley had the key to the Lexx. Not that you'll ever be able to use the Lexx against me – Karina asked from curiosity.

- Xev however has the key to Stan. Besides, she's another one of our little contests, if you had forgotten – he explained.

- Xev is meant to die here – Karina explained. – Just like you're meant to lose every one of our battles.

- Don't be so sure. I'm on my way to Joanna right now and she'll help me locate Kai. You've made me quite a convenience by turning your planet into a computerized society.

- Good luck! – Karina laughed. – Kai died in my palace, which you destroyed! He was standing right in the next room, when your dogs came to me to provide me with a distraction.

Rasa stood and watched at them with her mindless red eyes throughout the conversation.

- I will have your planet, Karina, and I will have the Lexx. You are weaker – Prince said.

- Not if this animal steps through that mirror and kills the woman – Karina said and whistled to Rasa.

- The animal can hear you, you know – Rasa said with a hoarse voice. – I still have some of my mind left.

Both Prince and Karina looked at her in amazement, while she smashed both the mirrors. The theologian shouted as the mirror on the door, that separated them, burst and showed the horrific-looking Rasa.

- Kill me – she said. – I know you have a knife, use it to slash my throat.

The theologian looked at her in shock. He gently put Xev on the floor and took the knife out of his back.

- I'm sorry. We're all doomed anyway – he explained.

Rasa lifted her head, cleaned her neck from her hair and closed her eyes.

Ray walked towards his butterfly and opened a link to 790.

- 790, what's the situation?

- Hurry, Ray! – The robot shouted. – The blue star has started emitting a beam, which destroys everything on the planet's surface! You only have a little more than an hour to find him!

Ray hesitated.

- What are you waiting for?! – The robot shouted.

- I'm coming back, 790 – he answered after a short hesitation.

- No you're not!!

- Stan's not coming with me until he finds Xev and I can't help him, because I have nothing to fight the zombies with.

- Use your body! I don't care! Just save him and bring him here! He doesn't have time! The planet is being sterilized!

Ray knit his brows and made a worried face.

- Listen to me, you short-sighted freak! – The robot shouted. – If you leave him there, you'll be stuck on the Little Lexx and Little Lexx will be destroyed by the explosion of the planet!

- I have a key – Ray raised his hand and it glowed in blue. – I can control the ship too.

- It's a security guard's key, moron! It can only provide access to the prison, nothing more!

- We haven't proved that. In all cases, I stand a better chance up there, than down here.

- Then just wait for them Ray! I believe in my stud! He'll find her and they'll come up! Just wait for them in your two-seated butterfly to take the slut with you, so Stan doesn't stay!

- Don't think that I'm too happy about leaving them here, robot!

- That won't be necessary – Stan said, coming from behind Ray.

- Yes! – 790 shouted. – You finally came to your sense!

- I'm not coming back, 790, I'm not giving up on Xev. I'm just changing my strategy.

- No! There's no other strategy, than coming back up! – 790 shouted in desperation.

- You can hack the security cameras in the hospital, 790. You'll tell me where Xev exactly is and where the cure is, so I can bring her to it and then come back fast enough.

- I already did, stud man! There is no cure.

- What do you mean there is no cure, I thought this was the hospital!

- It is, but there is no cure in a vial as one might expect. It's a machine, which once Xev is hooked into, will clean her blood from the molecules of the poison – 790 explained.

- Then don't waste any more time, tell me where to go – Stan commanded.

- My hero, don't think I don't love you more, seeing you risking your life for others, even the non-deserving! – 790 gently said.

- It's a bad strategy, Stan. But the best one could come up with. I'll come with you and help you – Ray put his hand on Stan's shoulder. – I'm sorry I considered leaving you.

- No, kid, you'll stay up here and guard the butterflies. We'll need them after that. I can find Xev alone. 790 will help me by locking the zombies away from me. Won't you robot head?

- You bet I will, savior!

Stan tapped the monitor, which showed 790, and looked Ray courageously in the eyes.

The theologian dragged Xev further. Behind a turn there were zombies. The theologian made a worried face and started turning around, but suddenly an automatic door was closed, preventing the zombies from reaching them. Prince was on its mirrors. He nodded to the theologian and disappeared.

- "And man's complicated tools will go mad and unknown demons will witness the planets final hour and gloat" – the theologian quoted with a shocked face and went on.

Angel was pushing the buttons of the big machine chaotically, but nothing was happening. Suddenly all the monitors changed and showed the roof of the hospital. They showed Stanley heading towards the stairs and Ray looking at him worried, leaning on the butterfly.

- What did I push? – Angel mumbled to himself.

- What? – Ray's voice was heard from a small speaker on the machine.

Angel looked at it in surprise and then looked at Ray, who was looking around him.

- Can you hear me? – Angel asked.

- Where are you? – Ray asked back.

Back on the roof, Angel's voice sounded loud and clear, but Ray couldn't see where it was coming from.

- I'm not quite sure where, but I'm underground – Angel answered. – I'm talking to you through the hospital's security system. Is there any way you can get me out of here?

- How could I? – Ray answered with another question. – I have no idea where to start looking for you? Besides, sorry, but the hospital is full of zombies and the planet will soon be demolished, so I don't think there's anything I can do for you.

- Please – Angel said. – I'm not a zombie. I need to get out of here!

Ray turned to the butterfly's screen, which showed 790.

- 790, can you tell where this is coming from?

- Why would I?

- Because if there's a way to help him, we have to do it.

- Fine. – 790 answered. – The roof is now isolated from zombies, so the butterflies are safe, and I don't care about your well-being, so you can help anyone you want. Preferably someone, who's hungry for human flesh.

The screen changed and showed a schematic of the hospital. A vertical tunnel was going deep in the ground and a point was glowing at its end.

- The tunnel is big enough for a once-seat butterfly to fly in and out – 790 added. – However you'll need to find an entrance into it, since the only one to it is inside the hospital. Frankly I don't see such a way. Your abomination-kid-brother will have to stay trapped inside and die with the rest of his idiotic planet.

Angel looked down in sadness and Ray knit his brows.

- What about the Little Lexx? – Ray asked.

- What about it?

- Can't I make it shoot my way?

- You're not its captain, Ray, you can't make it shoot.

- Just one little dot to open a way.

- Not so near to the hospital, you might hurt Stan to save another infantile jerk like yourself!

- Little Lexx – Ray shouted to the screen.

- Yes, Prison Guard 1.0 – the ship answered.

- Would you shoot with your weapon if I asked you to?

- Only my captain can command me to destroy planets.

- I don't want you to destroy a planet. I want you to fire a single dot at the point, where it could open a tunnel for me to go inside the tunnel 790 just showed me.

- Is this an emergency? – Little Lexx asked naively.

- NO! – 790 shouted.

- Yes – Ray answered.

- Prison guards are allowed to use a fraction of my fire power in cases of emergency. As you command, Prison Guard 1.0 – Little Lexx answered.

Nothing happened for a few moments. Then a blue dot came from the sky and hit the ground. A loud bang, that shattered the neighborhood was heard and dust rose from the ground.

- Thank you, Little Lexx – Ray said, getting inside the one-seat butterfly, which Stan landed in.

- Don't dare thinking my man will wait for you to return, kid! You're on your own – 790 threatened from the screen.

- I won't be long.

- You'd better be longer, if you plan on endangering my man in such a fashion again in the future! – 790 said and disappeared from the screen.

Ray took off.

The theologian placed Xev on a bed with an appliance above it. Yellow rubber tubes ending with needles were hanging from it. The theologian shivered at the look of the body lying on the table. He sniffed her and roared silently. A red tear came out of his bloodshot eye. She woke up and looked around her, without moving anything but her eyes.

- Is this the machine? – She asked silently with a little hoarse voice.

The theologian showed her his teeth.

- Fight it – she barely said. – You're stronger than that, fight it.

He placed his hand on her breast and used the other to push her head aside, so he could bare her neck and bite her. He approached it with his teeth. Suddenly a vase was crushed on his head. He fell down and Stanley showed himself behind him. The captain took his arms and dragged him out of the room.

790 appeared on a screen on the machine above Xev's bed.

- That's right, Stan! You did it! Now close the door and lock it. Xev will take some time to be healed.

Stan pushed the theologian's body outside, came back in, closed the door and locked it.

The screen showed a body shape and eight circles in it, with numbers in them, for the 8 tubes hanging from the appliance.

- Insert tube one in her left shoulder – 790 kept talking.

Ray's butterfly reached the point where the dot hit the ground. It had dug a big diagonal tunnel, which crossed with the vertical one.

The communication screen came out in front of Ray again.

- What is it, 790? – Ray asked in vexation.

- It's not 790 – Prince answered.

- Who are you?

- That doesn't matter. I need you to turn around and head to the Lexx – he answered.

- Who's playing those tricks on me? It's not going to happen. I can save the boy.

- You can't. He's destined to be the last one from his planet to die.

- He will be. But he won't die today – Ray answered and pushed the screen back.

The butterfly headed down inside the tunnel.

All the tubes were now hooked in Xev, who was unconscious again.

- I'll save you, Xev – Stan said with determination. – What do I do now, 790?

There was no answer.

- 790, where are you? What do I do now?

Karina was standing on the bridge, and had placed her hand on 790's mouth.

- You can't save her, captain. Everyone on the planet dies – she said.

- Who is this? Who's talking? – Stan asked. – 790, don't play with me, now is not the time. I'll save her and that's it!

Karina opened her mouth to answer, but froze and then turned around. Prince was standing behind the pedestal. They looked at each other with fury and disappeared. 790 fell on the floor, making funny noises.

- 790!! – Stan shouted, furious as well.

- Push the big red button at the center of the panel! – 790 shouted back.

Stan did so and thick yellow liquid was injected in Xev's body.

The doors through which Angel stepped inside the small room opened and showed Ray's butterfly with its body separated from its wings in a vertical position and an opened glass.

- There's only one inconvenience – Ray explained. – It's a one-seat butterfly, so we'll have to travel on each other, hugged.

- Thank you – Angel said and hugged Ray.

The belts, that held Ray to the wall unwrapped him a little to allow Angel inside and then wrapped them both, pressed to one another. The glass closed and the body leveled back with the wings, horizontally. The butterfly started ascending.

The planet was almost fully covered in blue and the hit-wave advanced further.

The liquid being poured inside Xev turned orange. Stan walked nervously around her. Suddenly a bang was heard on the door. Stan jumped back. The screen on the appliance showed the outside – many zombies were hitting the door in attempt to break it and eat the people inside.

- 790, make it go faster! – Stan shouted to the screen.

- It's running at its maximum, love! I'm sorry, I can't do anything more! – the robot showed himself on the screen.

- Then make the zombies go away!

- I can't make them go away either. There's nothing electronic near them, that I can use. They broke the doors I closed to restrain them. I'm powerless!

Xev sighed.

- Xev? Xev! – Stan approached her.

- She's too weak to be conscious yet, but the moment she wakes up, you have to find a way out of there, Stan! – 790 explained. - I'm not losing you to som… intelligence lacking bags of…

- 790, you're breaking off – Stan said. The screen went gray. – 790?

Suddenly Prince appeared on the screen.

- Hello, Stanley.

- Prince, what are you doing here?! You must have something to do with the destruction on this planet! You caused it somehow, didn't you?!

- I'm very indirectly and loosely connected to this planet, but still I have some influence. I have something very important to tell you, so you'll have to listen to me, Stanley!

790 looked at the screen and shouted. It showed the planet and zoomed to a smaller area, which was just about to be vaporized by the hit-wave. It was circle-shaped and it was getting smaller and smaller.

- Stan! Stud man! Tommy! Pumpkin! Kitten! – 790 shouted madly at Little Lexx'es screen.

- Shut up, stupid robot head! – Karina commanded, appearing on the screen.

- You bring my red man back on the screen, mysterious bitch!

- I will, robot, in exchange for something. Will you make a deal with me? – She asked.

- Not that I have any reason to consider your deals to be fair… YES! Just let me help my man get off the planet! – 790 shouted in desperation.

Outside the room, where Xev healed, Prince appeared on a window, close to the door. He tried to shout to the zombies, but he didn't have voice. Karina appeared on the window next to his.

- Losing your voice, Prince? – She gloated. - There's nothing more you can do on this planet. And in a few seconds I'll be able to fully chase you away.

- I'm not listening to you, not ever! – Stan shouted angrily at Prince.

- I saved your lives a couple of times today, Stanley! I don't have any time to argue! Trust me, what I'm telling you is in your best interest! Your newest crewmember has just rescued a boy from this planet, who's not supposed to be safe. You have to stop him.

- I thought all humans here had gone mad – Stan said.

- No time for explanations, Stanley, make your companion leave the boy on the planet!

- Why? Why would I deny life to an innocent boy?

- Because he is supposed to die and Ray will die with him if they stay together. Ray must not die, because as you could have seen, he plays an important part of your future destiny. There is a balance far beyond your comprehension, Stanley, keep it balanced, by leaving the boy here!

- Why is this boy so important to you, huh, Prince? – Stan continued to oppose stubbornly.

Prince disappeared from the screen right after Stan asked his question.

- Ray has just helped a boy from the planet. Make sure they bring him on your bug. Do that and I'll make sure Stan comes back on the ship as well – Karina explained the terms of her deal.

- Phew! Whatever! For a moment I thought you'd require something serious – 790 said in relief.

- Make no mistake, robot, if you don't complete your part of the deal, Stanley Tweedle will suffer. Greatly.

- Don't worry, I'm used to deal with evil spirits. I won't double-cross you – 790 calmed her.

On the corridor's wall outside the room Stan and Xev were in, Karina raised her arms in her window and disappeared with a shout:

- And you'll stand in my way here no more!

She appeared on Prince's window and jumped on him. The image of them both disappeared, after freezing the scene on Prince falling back and Karina holding his throat and falling on him.

The screen on the appliance showed 790.

- She should be ready – he said.

Xev woke up and rubbed her eyes.

- Stan, where are we? – She asked.

Stan hugged her strongly.

- You're save, Xev! We cleaned the poison from you! You'll live!

They both laughed cheerfully for a few moments, before Xev asked:

- What's that noise? Are there zombies outside?

- Yes, and there's no other way out – Stan seized his cheerful laughter and returned to his desperation look.

Ray had landed back on the roof and Angel was looking around. Streets were empty and there were strong winds. The sky was covered with extremely thick black clouds and lightnings flashed inside them.

Ray called back the butterfly's monitor. 790 appeared.

- Ray! You rescued the boy? – He asked.

- Yes, 790, don't worry, neither I, nor he, have any intention of interfering with your divine love for Stan – Ray answered.

- Good. I don't mind bringing him onboard at all then – 790 replied, which made Ray knit his brows in suspicion. – I'm patching you through to Stanley now.

- Stan? – Ray said to the monitor.

- Kid! – Stan's face appeared on the screen. – Xev's cured, but we could use some help right now. We can't get out of the room, it's full of zombies outside. Could you somehow come down and lure them away from us, so we can escape?

- I could do better, Stan. How precise is Little Lexx'es weapon?

- What? Why? – Stan asked, reluctant to entertain the idea.

- I already used it to dig a precise tunnel, perhaps it can shoot through the zombies at your door and open a hole for me to come get you through.

- No, no, I wouldn't try that… - Stan got worried.

- Little Lexx, – Ray said, pushing a button on the screen, - can you locate your captain?

- Yes, Prison Guard 1.0 – the ship answered and showed a blinking red dot inside a square. There was a transparent yellow one next to him and many more outside the square.

- Yes, exactly. Can you fire a precise shot at those other yellow points outside of his room? But it must be very precise, you can't hurt anyone inside the room!

- I think I can. I was grown to be more precise than my predecessor and to be more efficient in battle against fast-moving smaller ships. This target is not moving. I can do it.

- Well, do it then! – Ray commanded.

For a few moments nothing happened.

- What's going on? – Angel asked, coming closer to Ray.

- Stay close to me – Ray told him.

A blue dot ripped the clouds above and lodged in the hospital with high speed. Angel and Ray fell on the ground as the whole hospital shook. Ray was the first to stand up and look at the butterfly's monitor.

- Stan, are you ok? – He asked.

- Yes – he heard Stan's voice.

The screen showed Stan and Xev standing up and looking at it, while there was a hole outside, showing the streets.

Ray smiled. He went inside the two-seat butterfly and looked at Angel while the belts strapped him in.

- Wait for me here. Don't take the other butterfly, I'll be back to fly away with you in a moment – he said.

- Don't worry, I'll wait for you – Angel answered. – I won't steal from my rescuer.

Ray smiled approvingly as the glass shut itself and the butterfly took off.

- We're save, Xev! – Stan hugged his companion, as the wind from the outside blew her hair. She hugged him back.

Prince appeared on the screen.

- You didn't mention the boy, Stan – he said.

Stan gave him a furious look. He took a heavy-looking piece of metal from the floor.

- It will be bad for him, Stan, if you let him rescue the boy. He will die, and he shouldn't! – Prince insisted.

Stan threw the metal piece at the monitor and crushed it. Prince disappeared, as the monitor scattered in little pieces. Ray's butterfly appeared on the outside and it opened itself. Ray came down.

- Take it – he said to them. – I'll grab its body and fly on it.

- Are you sure, Ray? – Xev asked. – We can fly hugged.

- You're too weak to be pressed upon right now and Stan won't like it – he winked at Xev. – Besides I've always wanted to ride a dragon. Well, a huge butterfly is not exactly a dragon, but it's close enough.

Stan and Xev looked at each other and got inside the butterfly. Once wrapped in, they turned it around. Ray jumped and hugged the butterfly's body in the air. Then it went up, joined with the wings and they slowly flew upwards.

Angel was looking over the top of the hospital at the ascending butterfly. Suddenly he heard Prince's voice from the one-seated butterfly behind him:

- You won't escape your destiny.

Angel approached it and saw him on its screen.

- Tell me, why don't you steal the butterfly and fly away right now? Look, the hitwave is coming! You can see the blue horizon, can't you?

Angel looked between two other buildings. Indeed a blue line was covering the horizon and it was approaching.

- Go, - Prince continued, - save yourself, before it's too late.

- I won't leave him here. He's the one, who saved me.

Prince knit his brows and gave him a furious look.

- No, because you're so good, aren't you! What if I told you that if you didn't, it'd mean killing your rescuer?!

- I'd say you were mad because of the star – Angel refused.

Prince shouted and disappeared from the screen in a fireball.

The other butterfly landed next to Angel. Ray alighted its body and the glass opened. Ray went to Angel and put his hand on his shoulder.

- Ray, who's that? – Stan asked.

- Someone I rescued. He'll ride on my butterfly. Let's go, we don't have much time.

- I think you should leave him here, Ray – Stan said reluctantly. – He'll slow your butterfly down and he's part of the planet, so it's right if he died with it, don't you think.

- No?! – Ray got shocked. – What the hell's wrong with you, people?!

Stan looked down and Xev knit her brows.

- Maybe the planet's evilness has got to them – Angel guessed. – Let's go now, the hitwave is coming closer.

Ray got in the butterfly and Angel pressed his body towards him. The belts strapped them in and the glass closed. Stan and Xev took off before them and they followed them upwards.

Karina and Prince watched the two butterflies ascending from two mirror doors on a building next to the hospital.

- Why is it, that you want that kid dead so bad? – Prince asked her.

- It's a planet under my custody. My rules. None of your business.

- But why do you want Ray to die with him?

- You broke the rules by helping Xev survive. She was supposed to die today.

- So you're breaking the rules too, by stealing another soul – Prince figured it out with a sad look.

Karina looked at him in shock.

- Since when do you care about those?!

- Oh, don't be ridiculous – Prince laughed. – I only want the ship.

- Congratulations. You succeeded today. You saved the heart of your ship's crew. But this is a small and irrelevant victory – she summarized.

- Congratulations to you too. Because you lost more than a mere fight with me. Choices you made will bring to your downfall – Prince gloated.

She rose her eyebrow in disbelief. They were both silent for a few moments. Then they looked up. Karina rose her arms with a happy face.

- And there it ends! – She shouted in ecstasy.

The hitwave hit the building and shattered the doors to dust. The building collapsed and the hit-wave made its final crush on the hospital, from all sides. The whole planet was now wiped out.

The planet began glowing in blue. The blue star wasn't emitting any beams now, but was moving to the other side of the planet, where Little Lexx waited for its crew and where the butterflies left.

The hitwave, hitting the hospital, didn't end. It formed a tornado, which lifted all the ruins from the hospital and the other buildings it had wept out. It got bigger and taller.

790 appeared on Stan's screen.

- Darling! Hurry up! The planet is about to explode!

- We're going as fast as we can, 790 – Stan shouted, as he struggled to remain in control of the butterfly in the atmosphere's strong winds.

The two butterflies ascended and left the planet's atmosphere. However it was shining brighter and brighter in blue and they were not yet far enough to survive an explosion. They could also clearly see the blue star, which was approaching them. Little Lexx wasn't too far away either.

Suddenly the tornado, which had engulfed the hospital reached upwards to Ray's butterfly. Ray lost control of it and the tornado started pulling it back towards the planet. Xev saw that on her screen.

- Look! – She directed Stan's attention at it. – We have to help them! Quickly!

Stan pushed the stick and the butterfly turned back.

- Oh, don't you dare, my foolish duckling! – 790 shouted, appearing on Stan's screen. – The planet is exploding, there's absolutely no way for you to help them now! They're as good as dead, Stan, don't be an idiot, come back!

A tear broke from Stan's eye, but he kept pushing.

- The planet is exploding and it will take you with it, Stan! Turn around! – 790 shouted in horror.

Stan cried as he pulled back the stick and the butterfly turned back towards the Lexx.

- What are you doing, Stan! – Xev shouted through tears. – We can't just leave them!

The planet started exploding with bright blue light.

Ray and Angel shouted helplessly as their butterfly fell down within the tornado and as a wing broke away from the vessel.

Suddenly the blue star shot a beam towards their butterfly. The beam shot the vessel and broke another of its wings. Ray and Angel both made expressions of pain and shouted without voice.

Xev cried loudly as she saw the butterfly inside the beam on her screen.

The beam disintegrated Ray's butterfly into molecules and sucked them inside itself. Then the beam got back inside the star. Immediately after that the planet exploded. A rock, flying away from what used to be the planet hit the blue star, which also exploded with a blue hit-wave. Bright light bathed Stan and Xev's butterfly and the hit-wave from the blue star pushed it aside, as Xev and Stan shouted helplessly…

790 was on the bridge. He cried out of happiness when he heard a butterfly approaching. Stan and Xev landed and came out. They were both in tears, silent.

- A planet's gone, but what the heck!

I have my man again, he's back! – 790 tried to cheer them up.

- Ray didn't make it – Stan said with a low, hoarse voice.

- Even better! Ray's dead, the little fag! – 790 was overjoyed.

Stan gave him a furious look, ran towards the robot and kicked him with all the anger he had inside him. 790 flew inside the passage way and fell somewhere inside it, rolling further away, where he couldn't be heard from. Xev gave Stan a compassionate look.

- Damn it! I should have listened to Prince! I shouldn't have let Ray help a stranger! – He shouted.

Xev approached him and put her hand on his shoulder.

- You did the right thing, Stanley, we would have died if you kept going towards them – she comforted him. – There's nothing that you could have done better today.

Stan hugged Xev and cried on her shoulder. She was weeping too.

Little Lexx flew on in space, away from the planet's few remaining rocks.

**05.03.2008 - 07.04.2008**


End file.
